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Situated at Heartbeat@Bedok, Buddy Hoagies Cafe and Grill serves up delicious steaks at affordable prices. It’s a great place to go with the family for weekday dinners if you live around the area; or if you’re a student, do take advantage of the lunch specials that they have to offer.
The space reminded me of a casual American family restaurant, with an industrial vibe coming from the metallic details in the chairs and hanging lamps. There were also vintage posters and various vintage memorabilia displayed on the walls too.
Since it was such a warm day out, I decided to go for a Rootbeer Float ($3.90). You know Buddy Hoagies is doing things right when your drink comes in a frozen beer mug. I loved that they went the extra mile to do so, even for a simple soda float such as this.
We started off our meal with the Mac and Cheese ($6.50) and Chicken Mid-wings ($6.50). The chicken wings were my favourite, as they were seasoned well and tasted like har cheong kai!
The mac and cheese looked way better than it tasted — the cheese sauce tasted a little watered down and we would have preferred if there was a tad more seasoning in this dish.
The Seafood Aglio Olio with Soft Shell Crab ($13.50) was an utter letdown. The pasta and the seafood both lacked flavour, despite the dish being flecked with chilli flakes and garlic.
The only saving grace was the crispy soft shell crab, which ultimately still couldn’t redeem this dish as a whole.
The highlight of our meal was the Ribeye Steak and Chicken Combo ($20.50) with a side of steamed vegetables and a baked potato.
The steak was grilled to a blushing medium rare, and there was a nice proportion of fat to meat in the ribeye. The fat was rendered down perfectly and the gristle added a chewy contrast that I loved.
The BBQ chicken paled in comparison to the rich flavour of the steak, but for this price, this is a hearty meal where you get the best of both worlds in one dish.
Buddy Hoagies Cafe and Grill is a great place if you’re looking for an affordable dining option with the family or with friends. The food is affordable and the portions are pretty good for the price as well. I would definitely return for the steak, as well as the chicken mid-wings.
Expected Damage: $11 – $13 per pax
